


Family Mysteries

by Zepheonix



Series: A series of crossover shots! [1]
Category: Gravity Falls, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Crossdressing, Crossdressing steven, Dipper Pines is a Dork, Dipper is very skeptical, Dipper is very tired, F/M, Gem Fusion, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mabel Pines Is Awesome, Mabel is a little shit, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Steven Universe Future, Quarentine made me do it to em, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Steven has mindscape powers, Steven is a dork, Steven is related to the pines family, Steven is very tired, Swearing, The Mindscape (Gravity Falls), They're all dorks, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, but i love her, i love my dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23942611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zepheonix/pseuds/Zepheonix
Summary: Greg has been worried about Steven ever since the... Corruption incident, and thinks a new change of pace will help. He asks his uncle for help, who invites Steven over for the summer.Steven isn't so sure about this, and is suspicious, but goes along with it. Plus, what could go wrong with visiting some family?
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Series: A series of crossover shots! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859023
Comments: 16
Kudos: 376





	Family Mysteries

He had been helping his dad at the carwash today. It was a small escape from the gems, something to clear his mind. If only a little. Even if he loved how much little homeworld has grown, it just makes him feel... weird... inside. He knows that he'll get used to it, but it's nice to have an anchor that wasn't there before all this... Mess? Happened. He dosn't like calling it a mess, but it kinda was. Just because little homeworld itself isn't, the implications for why it is even there _is_.

Not to mention what had happened with jasper, white, and... Himself.

Sometimes he just wanted things to go back to how they were, even if only a little. He knew it wasn't exactly healthy... But he was trying to get over it. He had been opening up to gems, slowly, but surely.

The problem with going back would be the entire Galaxy would still be at war, gems would still be corrupted, and he'd have to go through all of this again. He didn't want his friends to suffer all of that, plus, he didn't even think it would be _possible_ anyways.

Steven absent-mindedly scrubbed the car with the sponge, not realizing he had scrubbed that spot to the point where the pressure he was putting upon it started to chip a small bit of the car paint.

" _Steven_!" Greg yelled in warning, Steven was brought out of his thoughts at the sudden outburst, he turned around frantically, looking around the area for an immediate threat. 

After realizing there was none, he sighed. He could hear his racing heart thumping in his ears.

"Dad, don't scare me like that..." Steven said, leaning his forehead against the car. He was mostly just tired, then angry.

"Sorry stu-ball, it's just I had called your name several times..." He trailed off, looking at the floor.

"Oh. I'm... Sorry." He looked at where he was washing, groaning a little. "Aw man, I'm sorry dad. This is what, the 3rd time I've accidentally done this?" Greg waved it off with a nervous smile.

"It's alright, plus, now that you're out of your little head" he accentuated his point by flicking his forehead. "I've got some news for you kiddo."

"What is it?"

"How do you feel about spending, I don't know, a few weeks at least, at my uncle's place up in Gravity Falls?" Steven froze. What was he talking about? This is the first time his dad mentioned an uncle- or at least for him, Great Uncle- in forever.

"U-uncle?" Steven looked hesitantly into Greg's eyes.

"Yeah! Um, I haven't mentioned him In so long you probably don't even remember him!" He chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck and turning away. "well, I was talking to him a little bit ago, maybe a few days, and he offered to have you up there." He said, and Steven was a little dumbfounded.

"W-what- why-?" Steven was cut off by his dad, his tone turning a little serious, and his smile fading. He stared right at steven.

"Kid, you've been so stressed lately, the thing with Spinel, not to mention Little Homeworld, jasper, the diamonds... The... Y'know" he absent-mindedly scratched his neck. Steven winced at the implications of the last one. It had only been a few weeks and it was still a sore spot for everyone.

"I just want you to let go for a little while. Enjoy yourself. Get some fresh air and recuperate." Greg said, and Steven acted almost instinctively. Immediately objecting.

"Wh-what do you mean? I'm not- I'm not _that_ stressed out. And I don't even know what you- what you mean by Recuperating, I'm already fine-!" Steven said before thinking, wincing when his dad called him out.

"Steven don't lie to me. I've seen how tired and on-edge you've been. All of this gem stuff has had you stressed out since the first attack we had with Jasper. Yes it's been varying in degree, but I can't let you hurt yourself." Steven could tell he was about to say 'again', but Greg held his tongue. " And, Steven. Please, talk to me more about this stuff. I don't want you to think you're a burden, schtu-ball." He said, sighing. Steven looked down at the floor of the carwash in embarrassment.

"2 weeks. Please. You can call and ask to stay longer if you wish, but-... 2 weeks at the least, a-and two months at most, cause that's when summer break ends. Please? If not for yourself, at the very least... for me?" Greg asked, and he sighed, Nodding.

"Thank you" Steven could hear the smile in his dad's voice, and he could finally bring his head up to smile at him face to face.

"Hey Stu-ball, if it makes you better, my sister's twins are going as well!"

-

-

" _Bye Steven!"_

_"We'll miss you bud!"_

_"Stay safe!"_

_"Have fun!"_

their goodbyes all rang in his head as the car ride went on. He glanced at his phone every now and then, just to check the time or change the song that was playing. He could hear rattling in the trunk of the car, and he smiled, remembering how pearl insisted on bringing most of his wardrobe. 

A few strings tug at his heart. It had only been a few hours, and yet he still missed them. He looked in the mirror and could see a bit of bright pink going over the ridge of his nose and cheeks. He took some deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

He looked at the corner of his windshield, and could feel the loneliness seeping in.

It was a picture of him and Connie at the temple, laughing and giggling with each other, the one next to that was the one he, Garnet, pearl, Amethyst, Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot, took after finally getting little Homeworld finished. The last one was of Garnets wedding, it was ruby and sapphire in their outfits hugging each other right before they began fusion.

He smiled somberly at the photos, tempted to stare at them a little longer, yet he kept his eyes on the road.

It's weird to think about it. He hasn't left beach city since going to Homeworld...

And even then, he barely left it before that, one of the only times being Keystone.

He shook that thought off, hitting the gas a little harder, seeing as nobody was ahead of him.

He rolled down the window and stuck his head out, letting the wind hit his face, cooling him down a little. The feeling of the wind hitting his face was nice. Whenever his dad drives, Greg lets him sit in the van window(as long as he's holding on tightly to the little ramps on the van roof), but seeing as he's the one driving, he won't get that luxury today.

He turns up the radio, hands drumming to the beat of the song as he strolls.

Finally after a small clearing via hillside, he gapes a little at the surroundings. There's two large cliff faces next to each other, flora overgrowing atop. There's a small bridge he can see, yet the strangest thing to him was the way the cliffs were formed, almost as if it were the work of something else. The forest was dark, the hues of blues and greens reflecting the setting sunlight perfectly, the cut between the mountains almost framing the sun as it lit up the sky with golden light, the clouds turning a rose gold, and the sky a pale, powder indigo which showed off the bright stars perfectly.

In front of the cliff sides, a small town resides, he could see the lights from here, sparkling in the setting sunlight. the billboard barely noticeable, the water tower standing tall, yet too far away for any details on it, but... Was... Was that a muffin painted on it? That surely confused him. But another thing he found absolutely stunning from the environment, was the lake and waterfall. The lake was glistening, capturing the sunlight and dancing with it, while the waterfall illuminated the area around it, giving it an ethereal golden glow.

He smiled, opening the two windows in front so he could feel the sunlight on him as he drove, the warm light made him feel content while the chilly air kept him grounded to reality.

After about another hour of driving, he finally gets to the town. Everyone there seemed nice enough, so he rolls his window down and ask for some direction to the 'mystery shack'

The woman was nice enough to point him in the right direction. She had been tidying up the outside of a diner, one of her eyes was closed and her attitude very bubbly. He was off once again, given the instructions.

With a small amount of driving in the woods- again- he finally came across a house, or, one that's supposed to look like it. It had two large billboards with "Mystery Shack" written on them, except that the capital S on Shack had fallen on the roof. The house was old looking, with small patches of mold and moss, but other than that it looked in relatively okay shape. Though, if Peridot, Bismuth, or Pearl were here, they'd freak.

That thought dampened the mood once again, but he tried to lighten his mood by the thought of being able to hang out with them once he got back. He parked the dondai where he supposes a parking spot could go, and got out.

He knocked on what seemed to be the front door.

"Shack isn't open during this time!" A rather crude, dry, and grumbly voice said through the door. He shrugged it off.

"Is this where Stanford pine lives?" He asked, and the door swung open to reveal an old man with a fez hat, pants, glasses, and a tank top.

"Yes. What do you want, kid? I said it's after closing hours." He said once again, and Steven nodded. He semi forced a smile onto his face, and held out a hand.

"Steven Universe. Pleased to meet you!" He said, and Stanford's eyebrow rose. 

"So you're that kid my nephew was talking about. Alright kid. Got any bags or stuff?" Steven nodded, running back to his car to grab my two trunks. 

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to know if I got the right place." He said, a forceful smile on his face. To be honest, he didn't trust him. He gave off an almost narcissistic vibe to him. Not as bad as, say, white diamond, but it was still there.

"Alright kid. Just, get inside and put your stuff up in the attic. There's three beds up there." He said, and Steven smiled, nodding. Though, his eye twitched a little bit.

As he entered the house, immediately he noticed the weird statues and gift shop. He walked into the back, where a small kitchen resides, and next to it was a living room and a hallway. He entered the living room.

There was a TV, a Fishtank, a Recliner, and some carpeting. He looked at the second doorway, seeing as it led to the old hallway, but this time he could see a set of stairs leading upwards.

He sighs a little, going upstairs.

Once he got to the attic Stan was talking about, he lightly tossed his stuff on the middle bed, but they still almost hit the window that was above said bed. He cringed. 

Steven lightly sat down on the bed, not wanting to break it in half by jumping on it. That didn't stop the bed from creaking a little. 

He checked his phone for the time, but was met with a new message he hadn't seen. 

" _Hey Steven! Hope you're having a great time there! I'm still stuck at my mom's house cause of school and homework >:( _" steven chuckled a little. 

" _It's meh here. I dont really like my first impressions of my dad's uncle_." He texted back, only to be met with a text a few minutes later.

_"I think it'll be fine Steven. Didn't your day say something about there being other people?"_

_"Yeah, but they haven't arrived yet, plus my dad didn't really say anything other than them being twins."_

_"That sucks. I have to go to dinner now, talk to you later maybe?"_

_"Definitely!"_ He texted back, smiling a little at his phone.

He proceeded to clean up the room a little, making sure everything was free of cobwebs and dust, then he got his bedding out to use.

That's when a knock on the door caught his attention.

"Come in!" He said, using a chipper voice.

He turned around to be met with two kids, both holding suitcases. They were kinda short (though, he didn't blame them, seeing as he hadn't hit his own growth spurt till, what, 15?) and looked completely different. One was a female, while the other was a male. The girl had a pink shooting star sweater, long brown hair, and flats. She was clearly the more energetic one, seeing as she couldn't stop rolling on the balls of her feet, a large grin adorning her face that showed off her braces. Meanwhile the guy had a grey and brown hat, a navy blue vest, a simple white shirt, shorts with soccer socks and running shoes. He seemed like he was nervous, almost curling in on himself, yet he also seemed a little bored.

They were definitely twins, from their same colored eyes and hair to their facial features (though one a tiny bit more feminine than the other) and opposite mannerisms.

"Woah! You're our cousin right? I love your shirt and jacket!" She said enthusiastically, throwing her stuff onto a bed and rushing up to him.

The guy just put his stuff down tiredly, and walked over to her. "Sorry about her. She gets over excited whenever she meets new people. The names Dipper, and that's Mable." He said, and Mable pushed him lightly.

"Come on man! I can introduce myself!"

"Yeah right! You can scare people off with just your smile!"

" _Hey!_ "

Steven burst into laughter at their squawking. Though the actual squawking part wasn't as bad as pearl, it was definitely squawking.

His heart squeezed a little at the small reminder, but he kept laughing. 

"The names Steven." He said, holding out his hands, to which they shook at the same time.

"Nice to meet you Steven!"

"Same here."

He smiled.

Maybe this wasn't going to be as miserable as he had first thought.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone is inspired to write a story with this premise, feel free too! I'd be happy to read it, so tag me in it if you do!


End file.
